Marc Thorpe designs virtual house with vaulted concrete arches
American designer Marc Thorpe has unveiled a concept for a concrete house with vaulted archways and tree-filled gardens for a riverbank in Georgia.
Named House of Four Gardens, the work is a set of 3D renderings created in collaboration with architectural visualisation studio Truetopia.
Thorpe imagines the project suiting the waterways on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia.
"Currently, the project remains as a concept, or more as an expression of values and beliefs," Thorpe told Dezeen. "I was most interested in the philosophical relationship between man and nature."
Thorpe explored this theme by conceptualising a grid of thirty 144-square-foot (14-square-metre) concrete groin-vaults arranged around an inner courtyard.
Four small grassy gardens would be placed at intervals on the grid, surrounded by river water, oaks and perennial ferns native to the region.
The house's namesake, its four gardens, would act as bridges between outside and inside spaces. Each garden would have its own tree casting shadows against the curved concrete.
Inside, House of Four Gardens would have areas for living, dining and sleeping. The bungalow's interior spaces are defined by the geometry of their corridors.
Only transparent glazing would separate these rooms from their jungle-like surroundings, enhancing the house's connection to nature.
A bath overlooks the mossy riverbank, while the chandelier-lit dining room's panoramic views offer the feeling of being outside.
"The translucency of the home is conceptually important," said Thorpe. "The closer we get to nature, the more we learn about ourselves."
Thorpe's work is informed by philosopher David E Cooper's book A Philosophy of Gardens. Cooper highlights the importance of humanity's relationship with nature.
While House of Four Gardens is currently only a conceptual project, Thorpe recognises the increasing trade of digital design as an intriguing trend.
"I'll leave it to this. If someone is interested in buying the rights of the design as an NFT, I would be very happy to sell," he concluded.
A digital house by artist Krista Kim that has just been sold for over half a million dollars, while designer Kelly Wearstler has created a virtual garage in Joshua Tree to celebrate a new electric truck by Hummer.
Marc Thorpe Design was founded in 2010. Last year, Thorpe released conceptual designs for a Hollywood Hills residence.
Renderings are courtesy of Marc Thorpe Design and Truetopia.